What happens if houses don’t meet these standards? One’s health experiences the consequences.

A report by the American Housing Survey found that from 2005-2009, 2 million dwelling places in the U.S. had severe physical problems including issues with plumbing, running water or heat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that 24 million homes still wear banned lead-based paint on the walls.

This connection with housing and one’s health isn’t a new phenomenon but a perpetual cycle.

Wahowiak continues in the article to say, that for low-income families, “it can be difficult to move up into better housing, or even maintain the status of the housing a person or family currently lives in.”

Such lack of access to proper housing can lead to harsh health effects for low-income families.

Especially in our cold Michigan winters, Access of West Michigan knows that having a warm place to sleep and a hot cup of tea is important.